Showdown in Marl: Vincentz refuses to cancel the list nominating convention

The background to the conflict is a power struggle that has been going on for days between the NRW state leadership and the federal party. According to insiders, Vincentz belongs to the comparatively moderate wing of the AfD, while members of the so-called "patriotic camp" around Bundestag member Matthias Helferich are counted as part of the ethno-nationalist spectrum. The federal executive board, with co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, had unanimously adopted a letter at a special session on Thursday evening in which the NRW state party was called upon to abort the list nomination and start over.

Vincentz, who had not participated in a conference call of state spokespersons that morning, responded with a sharply worded letter to Weidel and Chrupalla, which is available to the ZDF capital studio. He argued that the federal executive board had "zunächst keinerlei Rechtsgrundlage" named for its intervention. The letter states verbatim: „Ihre Aufforderung ist damit in Gänze unwirksam und entfaltet keine rechtliche Wirkung; sie ist eine politische Erklärung – nicht mehr." A removal from office of the state executive, which "nichts anderes tut, als geltendes Wahl- und Satzungsrecht zu befolgen," would accordingly be "ein Rechtsverstoß des Bundesstandes."

Actors and their positions

The federal party had justified its move, among other things, with references to possible legal violations during the list nomination. NRW state parliament member Sven Tritschler, a close confidant of Weidel's, told WDR that several sworn affidavits had been submitted according to which delegates of the last list nominating convention had been "bedroht und genötigt." Tritschler spoke of "parteischädigendem Verhalten" by the state chairman. Whether these accusations are accurate must "nun zunächst geprüft werden," he said.

Vincentz rejected the accusations and in turn accused the federal executive board of deliberately producing grounds for challenge. The federal executive board bases its decision on information "die nicht der Aufklärung dienen, sondern der Produktion von Anfechtungsgründen, die bewusst als Drohmittel verwendet werden sollen, um eine für den Bundesvorstand genehme Landtagsliste zu generieren." This view was shared by his deputy Kay Gottschalk, who told WDR that the convention had to be continued "aus rechtlichen Gründen."

The dispute had already escalated in content the previous weekend, when the first round of nominations had to be aborted after tumults and what was apparently deliberate obstruction. More than 90 candidates stood for list position 22 and each received eight minutes of speaking time – they thus completely blew out the conference's time window. Within the party, the action is known as "Operation Filibuster." Vincentz stated that "nach aktuell vorliegenden Hinweisen" members were still being mobilized for this action in several district associations. In his letter, he criticized that the federal executive board had, regarding the documented sabotage from within the executive's own ranks, so far "zur dokumentierten Sabotage aus den Reihen des eigenen Vorstands bis heute kein Wort der Distanzierung, kein Wort der Aufklärung" allowed to be heard.

"Operation Filibuster" and the proceedings in Marl

The formation of camps along the conflict lines was also visible in the conference calls on Thursday. According to information from ZDF, 13 of 12 state spokespersons recommended in the morning that the convention be canceled – Vincentz was absent from the call. A large majority of the other state associations supported a motion that the NRW state leadership propose the cancellation in order to return to a consensus-oriented list. Participating in the call on the phone for NRW were deputy state spokesperson Gottschalk and – on the federal side – Weidel and Chrupalla.

Immediately after the conference began on Friday, members of the "patriotic camp" around Helferich left the hall. Helferich told WDR that delegates had been threatened by the state executive, endangering the "Rechtsgrundsatz der Freiheit der Wahl." This account partly matches the accusations that the federal executive board had picked up in its letter: it stated "dass stimmberechtigte Delegierte bedroht oder erheblich unter Druck gesetzt" had been.

A look at Bremen

The matter is also explosive in light of the 2027 state election in North Rhine-Westphalia. The AfD wants to draw up its state list over several weekends, with the final convention for this planned for September. Should the party fail to agree on a unified list, according to Vincentz's account, it faces a scenario like that of 2023 in Bremen: at that time, the AfD there had submitted two competing candidate lists to the state returning officer and was subsequently not admitted to the Bürgerschaft election. "Einer Amtsenthebung eines Landesvorstands, der nichts anderes tut, als geltendes Wahl- und Satzungsrecht zu befolgen, fehlt jede Grundlage," Vincentz warned.

The fronts are hardened. According to circles within the federal party, the federal executive board could once again discuss the situation in NRW on Monday – possibly also about a removal of the state leadership. Weidel had recently emphasized in an interview: „Die Brandmauer schadet nur der CDU und macht die AfD stärker" – and at the same time affirmed that the AfD was open to coalition talks without backing away from its core positions. Whether the open confrontation in Marl strengthens the unity of the party needed for this appears questionable. ZDF capital correspondent Nicole Diekmann is covering the power struggle between "dem NRW-Landesvorsitzenden Martin Vincentz auf der einen und Alice Weidel und weiteren Mitgliedern des Bundesvorstands auf der anderen Seite," as the broadcaster's report puts it.

Outlook at the federal level

Meanwhile, both sides are vying for interpretive authority. Vincentz spoke of "fortgesetzten Sabotageversuchen" by a group of party members who were obstructing the convention. From the federal executive board, it was said that the letter to the NRW state party had been adopted unanimously. While some consider the convention irreparably damaged, others see precisely the legal violation in its cancellation that they accuse the other side of. The coming days, that much is becoming apparent, will show whether the AfD in North Rhine-Westphalia goes into the 2027 state election with a unified list – or with a split.

Background

Dossier on the AfD in NRW and the significance of the power struggle for the 2027 state election.

Actors and their positions

Overview of the individuals involved and their respective camps.

"Operation Filibuster" and the proceedings in Marl

How the internal obstruction campaign shaped the convention.

A look at Bremen

Why the comparison with the failed list nomination of 2023 is making the rounds.

Outlook at the federal level

What the consultation of the federal executive board announced for Monday could change.